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Donald Trump is a Women’s Issue

Both vocal and silent protesters have become visible at Trump rallies across the country. Men and women alike have been denied entrance to the event; those who get in have often become the object of verbal and physical assault.

On September 9, 2015, Erica Fuentes had her hair pulled violently while attending a Donald Trump and Ted Cruz event called Stop Iran Now. Fuentes was with other immigration activists affiliated with United We Dream.

On January 11, Rose Hammid, a 56-year-old Muslim woman wearing a hijab was removed from a Trump rally after standing in silent protest as Trump spoke.

On March 2, Shiya Nwanguma, was pushed, shoved, yelled at, and called slurs including the N-word and c--- while attending a Super Tuesday rally for Trump in Louisville, Kentucky with Black Lives Matter activists.

On March 29, a 15-year-old anti-racist protester was groped by a Trump supporter and called a “N-word lover” as she protested outside a Trump rally in Janesville, Wisconsin. When she defended herself against the groper, another Trump supporter pepper-sprayed her in the face. Police are now seeking to press charges against her for defending herself.

While men have also been assaulted and ejected from Trump rallies, it is important to highlight the violence women have faced at these events. Some may believe that femininity protects women from violence, however, as with police brutality, being a woman, especially a woman of color, is no guarantee of safety from physical violence.

These recent attacks against women and people of color at Trump rallies clearly illustrate that Trump, with his outspoken racism and misogyny, is emboldening the extreme right wing in the United States. Those who want to turn back the progress that has been made have found a new space in which to voice and act on their racist, sexist and bigoted hate.

What is needed to defeat this reactionary, sexist and racist trend? We need to stand up together and resist this attempt to turn back all the advances we have fought for. We need organization and unity in the streets, as we stand shoulder to shoulder and say NO to hate!